The present disclosure is directed to high pressure fluid handling systems. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an apparatus for remotely driving a flexible cleaning lance and/or hose into a piping system to be cleaned.
One conventional tube lancing apparatus is described in US Patent publication No. 2015/0068563 published Mar. 12, 2015. Such a system includes take-up reel for lance hose, a lance feed motor, and a mounting frame fastened to, in this case, a tube sheet of a heat exchanger bundle.
For cleaning a piping system or tube bundle, a user typically will install a back-out preventer and splash shield to the end of the pipe or tube to be cleaned and push a hand held cleaning lance or hose into the piping system to be cleaned. This requires the user to stand relatively close to the back-out preventer, hence in the path of potentially dangerous fluid back flow and debris out of the piping system. In order for a user to get back out of the splash zone an elaborate frame system must be erected to which a flexible lance feed system is installed. What is needed is a simple lightweight apparatus for feeding a single flexible lance and/or hose into a piping system to be cleaned that is quick to set up, is adaptable to a variety of pipe system configurations, and which can be remotely operated from a distanced spaced from the splash zone.